'The end user might be slightly pissed, but I predict that they'll be going out and buying their retail copies of Windows."
This is where you're wrong. The end user will be very pissed, and will keep using the unpatched version of windows. They didn't shell out the money before, they won't shell out the money now, and those that do will be few and far between. Thus, MS still has increased security issues because it is their OS causing this problem, and the PR problem then still exists.
But you are right, this could be a good way for them to push DRM.
" Microsoft, nor does any other company, have a civic duty - their only duty is to make the shareholders money."
But this is where your argument is flawed. You see, when your marketshare is as great as MS's, this becomes a very murky area. MS is not exactly leading the way in innovation, and they basically need to try to maintain their marketshare and their image. You see, these things directly affect how people perceive MS, thus affecting their stock price.
It is in their best interest to promote security through windows through whatever means they have available, even if that means patching the pirated machines.
One of the reasons MS is so widespread (same with Adobe) is through pirating. I'm not going to argue whethere it is right or wrong, I'm just stating a fact.
If MS patches them, there will be less security holes, and MS has a better image of being secure, thus making analysts send out positive things out them, thus boosting their share price, thus benefitting the shareholders.
"When I got to parks or outdoors, I do it to relax and escape the technology that I work with and live with."
Ok, now lets look at a viewpoint outside of your own. Believe it or not, it is a real convenience for a lot of people to be able to access the internet anywhere, wirelessly.
Just because you go to the park or outdoors for one reason in no way means that everybody else needs to do it for those same reasons. If you don't want to sit there and listen to the guy talking about his stocks, move somewhere else, or ask him to stop talking. And I really fail to see how kids playing computer games OUTSIDE is a bad thing. If anything its an improvement from sitting in the basement playing CS all day. At least they're getting sun.
I'm not saying enjoying nature free of technology is bad, but the good thing about wireless is that its optional. You don't have to take part in it. It may be AVAILABLE everywhere, but people certainly won't be USING it everywhere. Personally, I'd like to know that I have the option of using it when I want to rather than having to worry about getting back to a computer somewhere with a net connection.
You know, oddly enough, I feel I too can sense the EM field given off by electronic devices. It's not just the sound....I can almost feel it in the air. Things just seem...more...I dunno, still, when things are turned off. That being said, I've kind of grown accustomed to it, and the hum of the computer itself.
A non-slashdotter might take the phone to sandy beach, click, call and win the SUV, and drive off with all the bikini-clad women around who want to be in on the action. Of course, this is like suggesting a penguin visit the Bahamas.
You know, to some level I agree with this. One of my favorite games of all time is Subspace, which is a free game with very old graphics, but it still rocks because of gameplay.
However, I also feel that the future lies in true photorealistic VR.
It WILL get here eventually, and games will be so much more immersive when it arrives.
Unfortunately, the research for it has to be funded somehow, and all those gamers willing to plop $400 for a new video card just to play Halflife 2 are going to make it possible.
So I say let them keep jacking up the expectations. The people who can afford it will fund it, and eventually we will all reap the rewards. In the meantime, there are plenty of other games for us to play.
What would be cool is if you could hook this up to GPS. You could chart your runs and develop statistics, such as how many steps per minute, etc. These shoes could be great for people trying to gather data on runners.
So lets say they figure out where all this dark matter is. Lets say the detector gives them the results they need, etc.
Can someone please explain how this will affect future technology? Would this lead to anti-gravity? Teleportation? What sorts of sci-fi things could we make if we discovered this?
I don't see why they need a complex neural net. They could streamline 90% of WiFi traffic by assuming that the browsing will consist of downloading.jpgs and small.mpgs off TGP sites.
' The tracks use the MagicGate DRM copy-protection scheme and will work only with Sony Memory Stick-compatible devices including VAIO computers, CLIE PDAs, MiniDisc, CD and Walkman products."
So this thing will ONLY work with those devices? They qualified the statement with the term 'including' so that makes me wonder if other computers could use it besides VAIO's. If it is indeed limited to VAIOs for computers, well....Sony just shot itself in the foot with a BFG. Not only are they entering an already saturated segmented market, but Apple does everything that do, sometimes for cheaper, with less DRM, and it works on practically any device out there. Please explain to me how this service has ANY advantage over Apple.
I think I'm going to call up customer service for this service and ask why I should use their service, and for each bullet point they give me, I will explain how ITMS does it better, and then ask them to tell me why I should still consider their service. Honestly, I don't think they'll have a good answer.
"would people be offended by short adverts played at the beginning of the video files? (eg This Bit Torrent file is brought to you by...)"
No, they would edit it out, and rehost the torrents with a different name. This is why ad supported shows will never work unless there is product placement or some other way of assuring that ads don't get edited out.
I completely agree with this. BitTorrent is playing a large role in what I feel might be the future of TV. You see, lets take a tracker like Animesuki.com. It is a HUGE anime tracker, and lists by series, group, etc. They have the most recent stuff on the front page, and menus to navigate the rest. They even have links to summaries of the series you might be interested in downloading. Normally with a TV show, you would have to do a quick google for that info.
However, the big problem is that unless the networks gave people a format where they could not click around the time bar at the bottom of the player window, people would just come to an ad, and click forward through it in their media player.
But currently, the reason I love Bit Torrent so much is because anybody can host a tracker, anybody can have a.torrent link on their webpage, and it makes it very easy to search on Google for what I want.
'These will allow run-time rendering of high quality backgrounds and characters, ultimately resulting in games that are closer to full-blown Pixar animations, allowing better narratives and more immersive user experiences."
I'm studying the Disney brand right now and Pixar of course came up. We've discovered that Toy Story and such would have had a very high probability of being successful without the CG animation becaus the characters were so strong.
Thus, the point I'm trying to make is that the graphics capabilities do not give you better narratives or stories. They are just graphics.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE graphics, and I can't wait till we have true photorealistic virtual reality, but graphics will NEVER be a substitute for a good story and solid gameplay.
I really hope this leads to more free educational videos online. The BBC has been doing a great job of making that material available for free, and any thing that helps improve the quality of that content is a good thing.
Their documentaries are so interesting that I often choose to watch them over other movies or shows I may have on my computer. Bravo BBC.
"Don't ruin it for everyone else like *we* did back in the late 1990s just because you want free music. Instead of fighting with the RIAA by downloading their music shut them off by not listening to it at all. Please support bands that allow the free taping and distribution of their music"
So I'm confused, based off this statement, do you feel it is ok, or not ok to use Internet2 for the trading of free music from bands that support free taping and distribution?
"No, it matters to everyone. And in this case, inferior isn't a relative expression. Without any argument even possible, the copy you would receive would in fact be inferior to a full-fidelity CD recording. There's no way to dispute that."
While I concede that yes, 128kbit is of inferior recording quality to CD recording, my point is that what people feel is inferior as a product is on a whole different scale of what is acceptable. And the vast majority aren't that picky about the quality of their music, and if they get a usable keychain drive, that just sweetens the deal for them. This is all from a marketing standpoint of course.
"After all, what is the value of something that requires no resources (materials, energy, labour) to produce? "
Wow, someone needs to take Physics 101. The duplicator would require energy to run (duh) and what the hell do you think it would make things out of? Pixie dust? You would need to feed it carbon, which is in just about everything.
"No, this technology definitely isn't for people who know what they're doing, but does that excuse it, or make it a good thing for everyone else? No. Not in the least."
Of course it does. Because once again, ITS NOT TARGETED AT YOU!
"Well, simply put, they don't care becasue they don't know any better. Consider it this way: you have a 20$ USB fob, and are charged 10$ per concert. To use it, you need thousands of dollars of computer equipment."
Who are you to say they don't care because they don't know any better? I know damn well what the difference is, but I still prefer MP3 because its just a smaller file, and I'm not anally retentive about my music quality. The vast majority of people couldn't care less if it was only 128kbit. About the computer, do you realize how many people have a computer already? And you don't need a very expensive computer to play music at all.
"market an inferior product at them"
Once again, it is only inferior to YOU. To people who don't give a rats ass about audio quality (the vast majority), it is a perfectly acceptable product.
I'm trying not to sound hostile in this post, but you sir, obviously don't know square one about marketing. There is a HUGE demographic for this, and to those people, this is a perfectly good product. There will always be people who feel anything less than perfect quality is inferior, but to most people, 128kbit is perfectly acceptable.
Slashdot Mirror
This is where you're wrong. The end user will be very pissed, and will keep using the unpatched version of windows. They didn't shell out the money before, they won't shell out the money now, and those that do will be few and far between. Thus, MS still has increased security issues because it is their OS causing this problem, and the PR problem then still exists.
But you are right, this could be a good way for them to push DRM.
But this is where your argument is flawed. You see, when your marketshare is as great as MS's, this becomes a very murky area. MS is not exactly leading the way in innovation, and they basically need to try to maintain their marketshare and their image. You see, these things directly affect how people perceive MS, thus affecting their stock price.
It is in their best interest to promote security through windows through whatever means they have available, even if that means patching the pirated machines.
One of the reasons MS is so widespread (same with Adobe) is through pirating. I'm not going to argue whethere it is right or wrong, I'm just stating a fact.
If MS patches them, there will be less security holes, and MS has a better image of being secure, thus making analysts send out positive things out them, thus boosting their share price, thus benefitting the shareholders.
Which coincidentally is when this story was posted on Slashdot for the first time.
Ok, now lets look at a viewpoint outside of your own. Believe it or not, it is a real convenience for a lot of people to be able to access the internet anywhere, wirelessly.
Just because you go to the park or outdoors for one reason in no way means that everybody else needs to do it for those same reasons. If you don't want to sit there and listen to the guy talking about his stocks, move somewhere else, or ask him to stop talking. And I really fail to see how kids playing computer games OUTSIDE is a bad thing. If anything its an improvement from sitting in the basement playing CS all day. At least they're getting sun.
I'm not saying enjoying nature free of technology is bad, but the good thing about wireless is that its optional. You don't have to take part in it. It may be AVAILABLE everywhere, but people certainly won't be USING it everywhere. Personally, I'd like to know that I have the option of using it when I want to rather than having to worry about getting back to a computer somewhere with a net connection.
Next thing you know Taco Bell will be running a similar promotion where one lucky person might find an nGage in their taco combo meal.
However, I also feel that the future lies in true photorealistic VR.
It WILL get here eventually, and games will be so much more immersive when it arrives.
Unfortunately, the research for it has to be funded somehow, and all those gamers willing to plop $400 for a new video card just to play Halflife 2 are going to make it possible.
So I say let them keep jacking up the expectations. The people who can afford it will fund it, and eventually we will all reap the rewards. In the meantime, there are plenty of other games for us to play.
I'm going straight to hell for that one....
Can someone please explain how this will affect future technology? Would this lead to anti-gravity? Teleportation? What sorts of sci-fi things could we make if we discovered this?
So this thing will ONLY work with those devices? They qualified the statement with the term 'including' so that makes me wonder if other computers could use it besides VAIO's. If it is indeed limited to VAIOs for computers, well....Sony just shot itself in the foot with a BFG. Not only are they entering an already saturated segmented market, but Apple does everything that do, sometimes for cheaper, with less DRM, and it works on practically any device out there. Please explain to me how this service has ANY advantage over Apple.
I think I'm going to call up customer service for this service and ask why I should use their service, and for each bullet point they give me, I will explain how ITMS does it better, and then ask them to tell me why I should still consider their service. Honestly, I don't think they'll have a good answer.
No, they would edit it out, and rehost the torrents with a different name. This is why ad supported shows will never work unless there is product placement or some other way of assuring that ads don't get edited out.
However, the big problem is that unless the networks gave people a format where they could not click around the time bar at the bottom of the player window, people would just come to an ad, and click forward through it in their media player.
But currently, the reason I love Bit Torrent so much is because anybody can host a tracker, anybody can have a .torrent link on their webpage, and it makes it very easy to search on Google for what I want.
I'm studying the Disney brand right now and Pixar of course came up. We've discovered that Toy Story and such would have had a very high probability of being successful without the CG animation becaus the characters were so strong.
Thus, the point I'm trying to make is that the graphics capabilities do not give you better narratives or stories. They are just graphics.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE graphics, and I can't wait till we have true photorealistic virtual reality, but graphics will NEVER be a substitute for a good story and solid gameplay.
Their documentaries are so interesting that I often choose to watch them over other movies or shows I may have on my computer. Bravo BBC.
So I'm confused, based off this statement, do you feel it is ok, or not ok to use Internet2 for the trading of free music from bands that support free taping and distribution?
While I concede that yes, 128kbit is of inferior recording quality to CD recording, my point is that what people feel is inferior as a product is on a whole different scale of what is acceptable. And the vast majority aren't that picky about the quality of their music, and if they get a usable keychain drive, that just sweetens the deal for them. This is all from a marketing standpoint of course.
Wow, someone needs to take Physics 101. The duplicator would require energy to run (duh) and what the hell do you think it would make things out of? Pixie dust? You would need to feed it carbon, which is in just about everything.
Of course it does. Because once again, ITS NOT TARGETED AT YOU!
"Well, simply put, they don't care becasue they don't know any better. Consider it this way: you have a 20$ USB fob, and are charged 10$ per concert. To use it, you need thousands of dollars of computer equipment."
Who are you to say they don't care because they don't know any better? I know damn well what the difference is, but I still prefer MP3 because its just a smaller file, and I'm not anally retentive about my music quality. The vast majority of people couldn't care less if it was only 128kbit. About the computer, do you realize how many people have a computer already? And you don't need a very expensive computer to play music at all.
"market an inferior product at them"
Once again, it is only inferior to YOU. To people who don't give a rats ass about audio quality (the vast majority), it is a perfectly acceptable product.
I'm trying not to sound hostile in this post, but you sir, obviously don't know square one about marketing. There is a HUGE demographic for this, and to those people, this is a perfectly good product. There will always be people who feel anything less than perfect quality is inferior, but to most people, 128kbit is perfectly acceptable.